road to charlotte. president obama stops off in ohio and new orleans, before tomorrow's dnc kickoff. mystery ship. isaac's founding surf washes up what would be a civil war-era vessel. and royal feat. england's prince andrew goes to great heights for a good cause. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with labor day on the campaign trail. while much of the country has the day off, president obama will be hard at work before heading to the democratic national convention tomorrow. tracie potts has details. >> reporter: good morning from charlotte. this is the stadium where president obama will speak later in the week. first, he's doing a tour of battleground states. >> hello, colorado. >> reporter: president obama's road to charlotte stops in battleground, ohio and storm-ravaged louisiana today. sunday, in colorado, he slammed last week's gop convention in tampa. >> there were a lot of talk about hard truths and bold choices. but the interesting thing was, nobody ever bothered to tell us

what they were. >> reporter: and while mitt romney went to church in new hampshire. >> good morning. >> reporter: he sent running mate, paul ryan, on the campaign trail, to respond to the president's claims that the republicans are running on empty. >> he's running on fear and frustration. we're offering a vision. >> reporter: this week, we get the democrats' vision. >> we didn't like what we heard at the rnc. >> he's helped me. >> reporter: not everyone here is cheering in support. hundreds demonstrated in the big bank capital. they want tougher regulations on banks and the environment. later, the president will tour john the baptist parish. he'll tour storm damage.

mourners for the reverend sun myung moon in south korea. he was the self-proclaimed messiah of a religion that was regarded by some as a cult that used brainwashing. he is best-known for marrying thousands of his followers. six days after isaac ravages the state, 200,000 people around louisiana are still without power. and hard-hit residents of plaquemines parish are cleaning up. >> reporter: the flooding is slowly receding across southern louisiana. but the threat of high water has some neighborhoods still on high alert. st. taminie is considering the

evacuation of 5,000 homes. >> we don't do this lightly. but safety is first. >> reporter: as power crews work to restore electricity to the more than 200,000 still in the dark, the rebuilding in the bayou has begun. but for many residents losing everything -- >> second time around. >> reporter: again, is making them think twice about staying. diana has decided not to rebuild her plaquemines parish home. >> maybe if i was inside the levee system down this way, not so bad. but i have no plans on returning. >> reporter: it's that levee system credited with protecting new orleans, that now has residence concerned. >> you put this flood system, which is a good thing. it's a good thing. it stopped the city from flooding. but you're not going to worry about whether you're pushing the water. >> we would not have built a system that would induce flooding in other places.

>> reporter: the army corps of engineers will investigate the effects of isaac. >> we will take this storm and run it through our models and see what lessons we learn. >> reporter: lessons that residents hope will lessen the destruction when the next storm comes. here's your "first look" at some of the other news around america today. in oregon, a massive five-alarm fire destroyed buildings at a massive hotel complex. the hotel had been vacant for years. but some 200 firefighters had do be called in to knock down the flames. in alabama, the most unusual result of hurricane isaac. the wreckage of a world war ii-era ship washed ashore. the ship has been seen when the water washed away in passed hurricanes.

in florida, it was a race against time to save some of the whales that beached themselves this weekend. five baby whales were rescued and being cared for at a mammal rescue center. where else in buffalo, would you hold the national buffalo wing festival and the mandatory chicken wing contest. and who else? joey chestnut, downing 191 wings in 12 minutes. now, for a look at the national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins, with the holiday forecast. it wouldn't be a holiday weekend if it wasn't for joey chestnut. >> had the fourth of july covered with hot dogs. have you been to that restaurant in buffalo that claims to be the

original buffalo wings. >> no. >> it's good. >> and down 191 wings in 12 minutes flat. >> good morning, everyone. hope you're having a wonderful holiday weekend. the forecast continues to be warm across the country. we're very humid in the eastern half of the country. and we're plain, old, hot in areas of the midwest. we've had rain in the last couple of days, socialed with isaac. the storm came up through arkansas and missouri. this has brought some beneficial rains and also has rained out people's picnics. today, humid care continues with the rainy areas, in alabama and mississippi. new england will have a nice day today. central and northern new england, you're going to be good. philadelphia, southward, through areas in kentucky and d.c. here, you're going to see storms. here's the path that isaac has taken across.

illinois and inn. we' indiana. we will continue to watch spotty areas of rain, in portions of ohio and extreme eastern portions of kentucky. what's next? this is the peak week of hurricane season. we have tropical storm leslie. this is a very slow-moving system. there's a dip in the jet stream is not going to pick the storm up. it's going to linger off the east coast for at least a week. if you're heading to the beaches, the rip current threat will be great. also, the waves from the storm will be approaching the beaches. the surfers will love it. but if you're swimming with kids, the storm by saturday, could be over bermuda. there's a couple of scenarios that bring this storm close to the canadian maritimes in seven to ten days from now. we'll watch it closely.

it doesn't look like it's going to hit the u.s. but could see the waves from the storm. we're watching showers and thunderstorms hit and miss up the east coast. the morning hours will be the driest. how does 102 sound in dallas? they can't wait for fall. >> doesn't sound too good. putting bain under the microscope. and the breakfast favorite. your first look at business headlines is straight ahead. maurice jones drew straps on the pads. a watch on the diamonds. and a catch that will make you flip out. ♪ [ acoustic guitar: upbeat ]

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welcome back to "first look." here's some of the top stories making news this morning. the death toll in syria was put at 1,600 people killed.

the largest figure of the rebellion. rebel groups say they plan to started tastar getting areas. some had to be removed from rooftops and arrested by israeli police. the illegal settlement is to be demolished. in mexico, police arrested the cartel leader known as the devil commander. he was wanted in a series of killings and was infamous to have victims hanged from bridges. in egypt, the country's first news anchor wearing a head scarf since 2002 appeared on state tv. the rule changing on wearing a head scarf was made by a member of the muslim brotherhood. england's prince andrew and others jumped off the 87th floor of the shard in london, europe's tallest structure. and repelled down more than

1,000 feet. the charity stunt was to make money for the outward bound trust. prince andrew is the trust chairman. now, here's a look at this morning's dish of "scrambled politics." timelapse video shows the stage being set for the democratic national convention. the warp-speed video seems to turn time warner cable arena into the showplace of the dnc. the foo fighters are among the entertainers of the democratics convention. other performers, mary j. blige, earth, wind and fire, and also, james taylor. a republican is slamming paul ryan for his claim that president obama was to blame for the closing of a general motors plant. matthew dowd told nbc, quote, that isn't true. following the republican

convention, no bounce for mitt romney. nothing. nada. zip, zero, zilch. that's according to three separate polls. historically, candidates get a 5% bump. and president obama says he's still a huge clint eastwood fan, even after the actor's infamous empty chair monologue at the gop convention. the president said if you're easily offended, you should probably choose another profession. the president's sweet, this seat's taken, after eastwood's appearance, is actually the most retweeted after the entire republican convention. and the white house gave in from peer pressure demands from the public and is giving the recipe of its famous ale. the recipe shows how it's made, using honey in the light and dark versions.

the s&p 500 gained seven. the nasdaq 18. in tokyo, the nikkei dropped 56 points. but in hong kong, the hang seng added 76. september is the worst month for stocks. but there's reason to think this september may be different. friday, fred chief ben bernanke gave his long-awaited jackson hole, wyoming, speech. and hinted that another round of stimulus is on the way. the fed's next meeting will be on december 12th and 13th. until then, markets are likely to be riding a wave of anticipation and optimism. this week, investors will be looking ahead to another central bank meeting. europe's on wednesday. it may announce its own stimulus

plan, to help take pressure off the deeply indebted countries. all eyes will be on august's employment report out friday. economists expect 120,000 jobs were added in august. china's manufacturing sector is shrinking at the fastest pace, since the death of the global financial crisis and at a faster clip than data showed last month. new york's attorney general is investigating tax strategies of some of the nation's largest private equity firms, including bain capital, founded by republican presidential nominee mitt romney. finally, officials in canada have discovered an undisclosed but significant amount of maple syrup was stolen out of quebec. at last year's baseline price, a barrel of maple syrup is worth

more than 15-times what a barrel of oil is worth. wow. and now, news this morning. a new study finds that women who survive breast cancer with chemotherapy, may have to fight heart problems in the future. women who went through a common chemotherapy regimen, had a 20% risk of developing heart failure. that compared to breast cancer patients who did not have chemo. check out the health page online msn msnbc.com. here's mario solis. good morning. the chipper jones care well tour gets better and better. playing the phillies for the last time in atlanta. and chipper goes out in style. braves rally to win, 8-7. things haven't gone as planned for the dodgers since

the blockbuster trade next week. baltimore wins 8-3. they trail new york by two games in the a.l. east. the tigers moved into a tie for first with the white sox. delvin young's homer in the sixth inning is the difference. tigers beat the sox 4-2. if you drafted maurice jones-drew in your nfl fantasy league, this is the news you've been waited for. he ended his holdout. mjd didn't get a new contract. andy roddick advanced to the fourth round of the u.s. open. but it's his opponent with the shot of the match. chasing down the lob shot and returning it through his regulars. he pulls out all the stops. but it's not enough. roddick moves on.

to nascar. denny hamlin took the checkered flag in atlanta. now, back to baseball. aaa teams for the yanks and red sox. base loaded. a bomb to left. it's high. it's deep. it's gone. and so is the left fielder. jason repko makes the catch and flies over the would, robbing fukudome of the grand slam. he gets the out and flips out of the diamond. russell crowe loses his way. and kim kardashian is not getting something she wants. plus, this weekend, this movie set a record at the box office. the kind of record you don't want to set. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. if you have copd like i do,

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or problems passing urine. other side effects include dry mouth and constipation. nothing can reverse copd. spiriva helps me breathe better. does breathing with copd weigh you down? ask your doctor if spiriva can help. has oats that can help lower cholesterol? and it tastes good? sure does! wow. it's the honey, it makes it taste so... well, would you look at the time... what's the rush? be happy. be healthy. we're not in london, are we? no. why? apparently my debit card is. what? i know. don't worry, we have cancelled your old card. great. thank you.

in addition to us monitoring your accounts for unusual activity, you could also set up free account alerts. okay. [ female announcer ] at wells fargo we're working around the clock to help protect your money and financial information. here's your temporary card. welcome back. how was london? [ female announcer ] wells fargo. together we'll go far. the scheduled appearance of a three-dimensional ronald reagan hologram was canceled at the last minute. they didn't want to upstage mitt romney. he's only one-dimensional. did you see mitt romney's entrance before the speech ? it's interesting. you see he's trying to appeal to that younger voter. that younger demographic. show him last night. ♪

>> oh, man. >> tonight, jay welcomes dana carvey and nicki minaj. it is time, now, for entertainment news. at the box office this weekend, fear ruled. the horror film, "the possession," took advantage of the holiday weekend. not much competition and a pg-13 rating that grabbed the top spot with a better than expected $17.7 million. as expected, "oogielove and the adventure" averaged just $207 a theater on over 2,000 screens. elsewhere, over the weekend, oscar-winner russell crowe and a friend had to be rescued by a u.s. coast guard boat after they lost their way kayaking in the waters off new york's long island.

and finally, hollywood's walk of fame is one place you won't be finding kim kardashian. after saying she wanted her own star, a rep for the chamber of commerce, winning the award is part of a criteria for being collected, and a career in acting for five years or more. don't you hate that? now, for another look at the weather, bill karins with the forecast. i was under the impression you could buy those things. but i guess not. >> the stars? >> yeah. >> i'm confused on that, too. >> apparently you can't. >> i didn't know you had to win an award. all eyes will be with what's happening with the democratic convention. charlotte, we aren't going to see the most ideal conditions over the next couple of days. we'll be dodging thunderstorms on and off, through monday,

tuesday and wednesday. not exactly perfect weather conditions. but nothing that will rain out the convention. it will be warm and humid. very summer-like in charlotte. also, that humidity is up this morning, from new york all the way down to d.c. new england will get a break. all of the humid air will win out. if you're in the humid air mass this time of year, you're going to get a chance of a shower or storm. we have a few of those around philadelphia, around the jersey/pennsylvania border. northern new england, you're dry today. not all storms. but they will be hit and miss. we're still very hot. and the fire danger once again, very high throughout much of the west. we get cold fronts in montana and the northern plains. but you're well above average today, with temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. 93 in kansas city. got a little bit of rain. now, the dry weather pattern and

the warm weather pattern has returned. anybody traveling to the west coast, not looking at issues. nice for the labor day forecast. just dodging the showers on the eastern seaboard. this is "first look" on msnbc. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] for everything your face has to face. face it with puffs facial tissues. unlike the leading regular tissue, puffs has soft, air-fluffed pillows for 40% more cushiony thickness. so you can always put your best face forward. face every day with puffs softness.

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